380: Meeting the Founder of PianoCreativity.com – Garreth Brooke

Today, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Garreth Brooke, the brilliant mind behind PianoCreativity.com. Garreth, a British/German musician and piano teacher based in Frankfurt, Germany, brings a unique perspective to music education, blending traditional techniques with innovative, creativity-driven approaches. We explored the concept of "Repertoire Remixing," the importance of integrating creativity into lessons, and how historical practices of improvisation by composers like Bach and Beethoven can inspire modern teaching methods. We also delved into Garreth’s journey from the UK to Germany, his thoughts on modernizing music exams, and his passion for using music as a tool for personal expression. Whether you're a music educator or simply passionate about the art of teaching, Garreth's insights are sure to inspire and invigorate your approach.

• Garreth shared a brief overview of his background and the reason why he moved to Germany.
• Life, music education and his teaching setup in Germany.
• His transition to blogging and creative teaching.
• He opens up about how his mother's mental health struggles during his teenage years that deeply affected him.
• The role of creativity in historical music education and the influence of historical practices.
• Importance of integrating creativity into music teaching and how it enhances students' understanding and enjoyment of music.
• Garreth introduced the concept of "Repertoire Remixing."
• Benefits of creativity in lessons, which include enhancing students' musical imagination.
• Tim introduced his concept of "Integrated Music Teaching."*
• Garreth talked about "Creative Introductions," activities he shares on his blog.
• He highlighted the importance of teaching skills like interpreting lead sheets.
• The value of ensemble playing for piano students, which helps them learn how to interact musically with others.

Links Mentioned

• Garreth Brooke's Website
• PianoCreativity.com Website
• PianoCreativity.com Facebook Page
• Garreth Brooke's Instagram: @pianocreativity_
• Connect with Garret at [email protected]

Today’s Guest

Garreth Brooke is a British/German musician. He studied Music at St Edmund Hall in the University of Oxford where he acquired an MA, received the AMTB performance diploma from the Music Teacher’s Board, and holds teaching qualifications from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Garreth has released music with 1631 Recordings, THESIS, Moderna, Blue Spiral, Nordic Euphony, and Bigo & Twigetti, and his music has been streamed millions of times. He has performed live all over Europe and his sheet music has been published by Editions Musica Ferrum and Breitkopf & Härtel. His has written guest posts on PianoDao, music reviews for A Closer Listen, and his article about suicide prevention and mental health was published on Huffington Post UK. He teaches piano lessons in English in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

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